Fastener



Patented Dec. 15, 1931 uNlraof STATESgPAT ENT OFFICE SAMUEL H. NORTON,OF IlHIIEIAJDVIIIL-LIE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOIB T HOOK-E88 FAST-ENTERCOMPANY, A-COBPOEATION OF PENNSYLVANIA FASTENEB Application filedFebruary My invention relates to articles employing slide fasteners andparticularly to the manner in which the fastener is attached to thearticle.

[The general object of my invention is to provide improved fasteningmeans for fastening edges of separable parts of an article and in whichthere is no liability of the fastening means opening up under strain.

Slide fasteners have been successfully used on a lar e variety ofarticlesincluding many items of clothing such as rubber overshoes,leggings, and coats. As is generally known in the art, a slide fastenerconsists of a pair of M stringers carrying fastener elements along theiradjacent edges and a slider for progressively locln'ng'or releasing suchelements. l retofore it has been the practice to attach the flexiblestringers by any suitable means 2o as by cementing or sewing to theadjacent edges of the separable portions of the article to be fastenedand the fasteners have usually *been securely connected to the articleall alon their entire length and especially at the 61. of the fastenerwhich is first to beopened by the slider. It will thus be seen that theforce applied to the fastener is distributed. along its entire lengthand is particularly efi'ective near the ends of the fastener. When thefastener is fully closed the slider is, of course, arranged at one endand is held from moving ed the fastener by suitable stop elements. Whenlateral force is thus applied to the fastener in the locality of'theslider, there has been in many instances, a tendency for the slider towork back and allow the fastener to open up. In order to prevent suchopening up of the fastener, various types of locfing means have beendevised fbr preventing unintended movement of the slider. 4 My inventionaims to prevent such movement by attaching the fastener to the articlein a novel manner and without any locking device for the slider. 7

From another of its aspects, my invention consists of improved'means forpreventing inadvertent opening of a slide fastener particularly when thefastener is applied in a lll so-called inverted position or with theslider 5, 1930. Serial No. 426,022.

disposed at the lower end of the fastener when it is fully closed.

A more specific object of my invention is to extend the fastenerstringers beyond the terminal point of attachment of at least one of thestringers a suflicient distance to allow disposal of the slider beyondthe line of transverse force applied to the. fastener.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear more fullyduring the course of the following specification.

In the accompanying drawings I have shownfor purposes of illustrationtwo embodiments which my invention mayassume in practice. In thesedrawings: 5

Fig. 1 illustrates a portion of a garment embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an-enlarged view of the end of the garment sho in Fig. 1illustrating the in vention on a larger scale. I

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the fastener partly opened.

Fig. l isa view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating another emb cl o ent ofmy invention. I

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of the slider. a

' In order to explain the use of my invention, l have illustrated it inconjunction with a pair of lmickers 6 having a knee fitting portion 7.As is usual in hickers, each of the so hoe fitting portions has a slit 8extending from the lower end of the garment to a. substantial stanceabove the knee so as to ow the tightly fitting portions 9 and 10 toseparated when putting on and taking off the ent. lln order to fastentogether the edges of the slit 8 and to connect. the separable portions9 and 10 a slide fastener generally designated 11 is sewed to the edgesof the sl1t. As more plainly shown in Fig. 2, the slide fastenercomprises a pair of flexible stringers l2 and 13 having fastenerelements M secured to their adjacent lo 'tudinal edges. A slider 15 ismovable a ong the strlngers to engage and disengage the fastenerelements in amanner well understood in the art, and in order to preventremoval of the slider fromthe stringers, suitable stop elements 16 areattached to the ends' of the stringer adjacent the fastener elements..It

will now be noted that instead of the stringers terminating at the edgeof the garment they are extended a suflicient distance to allow disposalof the slider beyond the edges of the garment when the fastener isfullyclosed. It will thus be seen that when tension is applied to theseparable portions 9 and 10 the force transmitted to the fastener willbe well above the slider and there will be no tendency for the slider tocam back along the fastener elements and allow the stringers to beseparated.

. In Fig. 4 there is illustrated an embodiment which may be preferred inmany cases where it is desired not to extend the fastener beyond theedges. of the garment. In this case one of the stringers 13 is sewed orotherwise attached to the article all along its entire length as by theline of sewing 17. The attachment of the other stringer 12 to itsportion of the article as by the line of sewing 18 terminates asufiicient distance short of the end of the stringer so as to permit theslider to be disposed at a point where no lateral strain can be appliedto the fastener. With one of the stringers thus secured to the articlecompletely to its end, the end of the fastener is held in positionallowing the slider to be easily moved upwardly when it is desired toopen the fastener. Furthermore, in this form the fastener does notprotrude beyond the article to which it is attached, the advantages ofwhich will be apparent.

As will be seen in 'Fig. 5 the slider has a pair of diverging channels19 which meet near the central part of the slider and merge into asingle channel 20. It will be apparent that it is suflicient for thepurposes of this invention to have the slider disposed beyond theterminal point of attachment of one of the stringers sufiiciently toprevent any lateral force being applied to the fastener immediatelyopposite the diverging channels.

As a result of my invention it will be observed that in eflect asuitable locking means has been devised for slide fasteners which ruires no s cial mechanism on the slider an which Wlll function equallwell in any position of the fastener. T makes it especially desirable inso-called inverted applications of the fastener because some of thelocking devices which will function very well whenthe slider is innormal position as in rubber overshoes Will not 've satisfaction whenthe fastener isinverte as in the applidescription and that various otherforms may be devised within the scope of my invention as defined in theappended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In an article having separable portions to be fastened, a slidefastener for fastening the same comprising fastener stringers secured toopposite edges of said separable portions, interlocking fastenerelements on said stringers, a slider movable along said stringers forengaging and disengaging said elements, said slider being in continuousengagement with the elements of both of said stringers, stop means onsaid stringers for limiting the closing movement of said slider andpreventing disengagement of the slider from the elements of eitherstringer, said stop means being located substantially beyond theterminal point of attachment of at least one of said stringers toprevent sidewise stress on said slider while the fastener is close-d.

2. An article having a slit therein opening through the edge of thearticle, fastener stringers secured along the edges of said slit, one ofsaid stringers attached along the entire length of said slit while theattachment of the other terminates at a point spaced from the open endof said slit, interlocking fastener elements on said stringers, a slidermovable along the stringers for engaging and disengaging said elements,said slider being in continuous engagement with the elements of both ofsaid stringers, stop means on the ends of said stringers adjacent theopen end of said slit for limiting closing movement, of the slider andpreventing disengagement of the slider from the elements of eitherstringer, said slider when in limitin position being engaged with saidunattache portion of one stringer whereby no sidewise stress is appliedto the slider while closed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

SAMUEL H. NORTON.

